Shami Kebabs

Shami kebabs are a Pakistani household staple. They literally go with everything! With Daal, Pulao, in a sandwich, in a burger (and a shami burger) or even as a teatime snack for guests. I keep a batch of these in my freezer for such occasions. i make shami kebabs a couple times a year, so I make a huge batch each time. This batch makes 120, but you can easily, double, half or even quarter this recipe for your convenience. 

I use lean beef mince, but if you are looking for a slightly different kebab, called the ‘Resha Shami Kebab’ then you can use boneless beef cubes. I prefer using beef mince. 

I used a huge pot to make the shami kebab mixture. I prefer to cook the mixture low and slow so that everything is well cooked and nothing is left partially cooked through. Others prefer to use a pressure cooker for this. 

Note 1: Now in the ingredients I wrote about adding large cinnamon sticks, but if after cooking the cinnamon sticks, they are still thick and woody and they don’t easily bend, then remove the cinnamon sticks before grinding the mixture for the shami kebabs. If you end up grinding down these cinnamon sticks, it will not grind into a paste and you will be left with bitter parts in your kebabs. 

Preparation Time 10 minutes 

Cook Time 3-4 minutes 

Cool Time 20 minutes 

Shaping Time 20 minutes 

Yields 120 shami kebabs 

Ingredients 

4 litres water 

2 kg lean beef mince 

1 kg split bengal gram daal (daal channa)- washed and soaked for 2 hours 

4 onions- peeled and cut into pieces 

20 Whole red chillies - adjustable to spice level 

8 large cinnamon sticks- see note 1 above

8 black cardamom 

8 teaspoons salt- to taste 

4 teaspoon turmeric

1 tablespoon/ 30 black peppercorns 

8 tablespoons ginger paste 

8 tablespoons garlic paste 

4 tablespoons coriander seeds 

4 tablespoons cumin seeds 

8 green chillies- whole 

2 cups mint leaves 

2 cups coriander leaves 

8 eggs - adjustable 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4zavInrQso

Instructions 

1. Place the split bengal gram daal in a large bowl with enough water to cover the daal and you need to give it enough room to expand. Soak for 2 hours before cooking. 

2. Place the water, beef mince, split bengal gram daal, onion, red chillies, cinnamon sticks, black cardamom, salt, turmeric, black peppercorns, ginger paste, garlic paste, coriander seeds and cumin seeds in a large pot with a lid. Cover and bring it to a boil. 

3. Cover and cook for 1-2 hours over a low heat until the daal is soft to press down. If the outside is hard, then cook further. If the outside is soft but there is still a bite In the middle, then cook further. If using a pressure cooker, cook on a high for 10 minutes. The daal should be soft again. 

4. Once the daal is soft but not mushy, cook the mixture on a high heat until the water dries completely. You don’t want any water in this mixture. Keep stirring constantly, otherwise the mixture will burn. 

5. Once the mixture is dried up, set the mixture aside for 20-30 minutes to cool completely. 

6. In a food processor, grind down the mint, coriander and green chillies, until a coarse mixture. Do not add water to this. Add the mince into 4 batches and grind it down with 2 eggs in each batch until smooth. In total you will use around 8 eggs. If the mixture is still dry then you may need to add another egg. You can check this by trying to make a kebab. If it’s very dry and isn’t coming together, add another egg. 

7. Make small circular patties and use some water to smooth out the edges and remove cracks from the kebabs. Layer them in lined trays. Use plastic sheets to divide the layers of kebabs. 

8. Freeze them overnight so that they are solid, then remove them from the trays and place them in ziplock bags. 

9. To fry, remove them frozen from the bag, fry them in batches being careful not to over crowd the pan and cook them over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until golden brown on both sides and cooked through.